It is safe to say that most — if not all — Chargers fans were rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Not only are the Kansas City Chiefs a division rival but the Eagles had several former Chargers both on the roster and the coaching staff.
Alas, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid were able to win their second Super Bowl together after a questionable holding call in the fourth quarter allowed them to milk the clock. Holding call aside, the Chiefs absolutely outplayed the Eagles in the second half of the game.
Kansas City being a division rival is not the only reason why this game was painful for Chargers fans. The Chiefs winning the game also gave Melvin Gordon — who is perhaps the most hated former Charger in the league — his first Super Bowl ring.
Thank you @Chiefs talk about a long year … y’all gave me something to smile about. Forever grateful 🤍🤘🏾. I’m a champion
— F L ⚡️ S H (@Melvingordon25) February 13, 2023
Melvin Gordon wins his first Super Bowl before Chargers' Justin Herbert wins his first playoff game.
Melvin Gordon will get a Super Bowl ring for doing absolutely nothing while Justin Herbert is undoubtedly one of the elite players in this game and does not even have a playoff win on his resume. Instead, all he gets is his teammates appearing on sports talk shows and letting the host dig into him without defending the QB.
What makes this even worse is the fact that the Chargers really could have made a deep run in the playoffs. It is probably better in the long run that the team didn't win that game as Joe Lombardi is now gone but you never know what could have happened.
The Chargers matched up really well against the Chiefs, taking them to their limit both times they played them in the regular season. Nothing is a guarantee in the NFL but the Chiefs probably would have had a much tougher go at things in the Divisional Round if they were hosting the Chargers instead.
Would the Chargers have been able to beat both the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles? Probably not. But there certainly was a world in which the team could have shocked the Chiefs in the Divisional Round to keep this from happening.
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Instead, Chargers fans have to watch the third AFC West Super Bowl Champions of the last decade celebrate with one of the most hated former Chargers getting a Super Bowl ring for contributing absolutely nothing.